One of the biggest problems with trying to read Robin Edgar’s blog posts and comments is his use (or abuse) of language. His writings are riddled with all sorts of repetitive catch phrases coined or appropriated by him, and he often redefines words through the lens of his narcissistic obsessions. This is a guide to many of these, and we invite our readers to offer more examples of ‘Robin-Edgar-speak’

Abuse – any criticism of Robin Edgar by any Unitarian Universalist, however valid or constructive.

Asterisk – a frequently overused typographical symbol in Robin Edgar’s blog posts and online comments; even though he has shown himself quite capable of using boldface, italics and underlining, he continues to frame words with asterisks as a means of emphasis; considering his repeated commentary that the asterisk resembles a rectal sphincter, this may explain his obsessive overuse (see entry forAss, Asshole); this in turn may provide meaning to his constantly abbreviating ‘Unitarian Universalist’ as ‘U*U’ (read ‘you asshole, you’); note also his spelling out the word as ‘Ass-To-Risk’

Big Fat U*U – Meaningless attempt at an insult by Robin Edgar towards any and every Unitarian Universalist of whom he disapproves; considering that he has never voiced approval of any Unitarian Universalists, and the incredible amount of repetition in his blog and online comments, an especially meaningless phrase

Censorship – refusing to publish any of Robin Edgar’s comments, regardless of how offensive or irrelevant it may be; even though no effort is made to suppress his use of his own blog (actually several) to publish his views, he considers others’ refusing to let him hijack their blogs and media outlets for his own purposes to be an affront to his rights

Cowardly – anybody who chooses to question or criticize Robin Edgar anonymously, for whatever reason; all too often assumed by him to be a Unitarian Universalist

DIM thinking – a term of art appropriated by Robin Edgar to describe any disagreement with, or questioning of, any of his actions or allegations; if you do not agree with his belief that Unitarian Universalism is riddled with ‘injustices, abuses and hypocrisy’, and that he is justified in doing and saying whatever he wants in response (even when he makes unjust accusations, abusive statements, or behaves exactly as he accuses others of doing), then you are guilty of ‘DIM thinking’

Emerson Avenger – according to Robin Edgar, his ‘online persona’ for engaging in an endless crusade against ‘injustices, abuses and hypocrisy’ within Unitarian Universalism; another way of rationalizing his outlandish statements and behaviour by claiming that he is actually a nice and reasonable person, and that his ‘Emerson Avenger persona’ is merely a ‘form of satire’ in response to Unitarian Universalists refusing to give in to his repeated demands for ‘justice’; the problem is, Unitarian Universalists have so rarely seen him behaving ‘nice’ and ‘reasonable’, making it hard to tell which is the real Robin Edgar and which is an act

Googe hits – justification for Robin Edgar’s belief in his own relevance, importance and self-righteousness

Hypocrisy – label attached to any Unitarian Universalist who does not always listen to, or agree completely with, Robin Edgar

Insults – in the mind of Robin Edgar, a perfectly justifiable response to any criticism of his obnoxious, outrageous and offensive behaviour; since he views any such criticism as an insult (see alsoAbuse), he believes that he is in his rights to lash out at any Unitarian Universalist who disagrees with him, or even refuses to respond to his demands

Justice – Unitarian Universalists giving in to every complaint, demand and grievance of Robin Edgar, no matter how extreme or irrational

Kick in the balls – example of Robin Edgar’s frequent and repetitive use of violent imagery, in this case to exaggerate the importance or relevance of one Unitarian Universalist disagreeing with another, and often coupled with the bizarre claim that such disagreement justifies Robin Edgar’s outrageous behaviour and verbal attacks

Memory hole – final resting place for many of Robin Edgar’s more offensive comments on other people’s blogs (although he is notorious for printing them on his own blog, then accusing the other person of ‘censorship’); appropriated out of context from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four

Peaceful public protest – real-time harassment of Unitarian Universalist groups and meetings, involving the use of handmade picket signs with bizarre statements; many times ‘documented’ by having Robin Edgar photograph or videotape himself; most frequent target of this tactic has been the Unitarian Church of Montreal, which terminated his membership after enduring almost two years of obsessive and outrageous conduct; also directed at perceived co-conspirators of ‘U*U injustices, abuses and hypocrisy’, such as Quebec’s Crown Prosecutors for following up on requests filed for restraining orders against him

Some – Apparently a reference to 99.9999 percent of Unitarian Universalists, or particular groups of Unitarian Universalists; Robin Edgar frequently prefaces his attacks on UUs with this word, as if to make the claim that he does not despise all UUs; the problem, of course, is that he has lashed out at so many UUs since the start of his crusade against alleged ‘injustices, abuses and hypocrisy’ that it is virtually impossible to know if he actually approves of any

Aside from becoming more maniacal in his postings, Robin Edgar has begun to focus (or fixate) on yet another issue: Unitarian Universalists and sex.

Freud would have a field day with this man.

Robin Edgar has become more explicit, almost to the point of vulgarity, in trying to use sex as yet another means of discrediting UUs. Of course, he picks what will fit his biased obsession of ‘UUs bad’, even to the point of highlighting outdated and uncorroborated material.

Basically, he is utilising the same methods he had before, only on a more sensitive topic. Not to mention failing, once again, to propose any positive solutions (compared to many UU bloggers who have made specific suggestions for dealing with the problems of the past).

Still, it should surprise nobody that Robin Edgar is now doing this. He has made tasteless sexual allusions before, not to mention his obsessive puns around anuses, and his repetitive use of ‘kick in the balls’. What’s unusual is his shifting from juvenile toilet humour to puritanical judgments about sex.

Then again, it is hard to predict what this disturbed man will do next…

Recently one of our readers posted the following comment for consideration:

Read Robin’s posting on his blog today. I think that, mentally, he has reached the point of no return.

After doing so, we have to wonder if Mister Edgar ever reviews what he writes before posting it. Perhaps if he did, he’d notice the contradiction of insisting that he does not rationalize his use of insulting and offensive behaviour, then proceeds to rationalize it as ‘tit-for-tat’ distorting the Golden Rule into ‘Do unto U*Us as they have done unto you.’

He goes on and on and on. More attempts to deflect attention by lashing out against UU ministers he disapproves of (and that number seems legion). More ranting, blaming and denigrating others, never accepting responsibility for his own outlandish behaviour.

But has he really ‘reached the point of no return,’ as the commenter has opined? We certainly hope not! We certainly hope that there is still hope for Robin Edgar to get the professional help he so desperately needs.

How could anybody who carries so many grudges and so much rage over so petty a dispute can be considered emotionally healthy? How could anybody who has alienated so many still insist that he is totally innocent and justified in all that he does?

Please, Mister Edgar. See a therapist or psychiatrist. At the very least, you can set aside arguments about your mental health once and for all.

It is typical of malignant narcissists to play a warped game of tit-for-tat. When those around him talk about something else, he cries, ‘What about me?’ When they try to point out his own antisocial behaviour, he points an accusing finger and snarls, ‘What about her?’

Such is the course of Robin Edgar. When asked if he would pleadge not to use physical violence against Unitarian Universalists, he not only refuses to give a straightforward answer, but once again picks on somebody else. In this case, it is Reverend Victoria Weinstein.

Again, he harps on a post she made, and later deleted. Mister Edgar, you are the one obsessed with anal impalements, not to mention connecting so many other things with the human rectum. Reverend Weinstein has moved on, and you are still unable to.

He also repeats his diatribe about an incident remarked about in 2005. We also commented on this ten months ago, and we made it clear that we did not condone such behaviour. Not enough for Robin Edgar, because when confronted with his own irrational and spiteful antics, he needs somebody else to point to as a distraction. ‘What about her?’

If that were not enough, he accuses unnamed members of the Montreal church of physically assaulting him. Really, sir? Then why no mention of any criminal complaints filed by you against these individuals? Where is your evidence? Where are your witnesses?

But let us return to the point, Mister Edgar – your behaviour. You have been harassing, attacking, stalking, insulting, offending and generally acting like that part of the human anatomy you so love to point out, for almost two decades now. You have widened your circle of targets, spewing venom and bile at any and all UUs who refuse to join your endless crusade. Like other obsessed stalkers before you who have done likewise, either at the lady who spurned them, or the employer who fired or refused to hire them, yours is a clear pattern of escalation.

First you expect to trust that you will not be violent because you have not yet been violent. Again, let’s point out the danger of escalation, where the offending behaviour only gets worse and worse as the obsessed stalker decides he has to ‘take it up a notch’ to get what he wants (and, in his warped view of things, somehow deserves). During the time you were a member of the Montreal church, you were asked to abide by certain covenants, and then violated those covenants. So how can you be trusted now?

Worse yet, Robin Edgar claims the right to what he calls ‘legitimate self-defense.’ Well, we have seen what he considers to be ‘legitmate’ in terms of grievances and complaints – simply another excuse for him to pick a fight, denigrate somebody else, and draw attention to himself. We would hate to see what somebody so self-centered would regard as ‘self-defense.’

We would hate to see the Montreal church needing to become a fortress. But it is clear that Robin Edgar cannot be trusted to remain nonviolent, considering the violence of the words and imagery he chooses to use, and the examples he cites (exaggerated and distorted as they are) to rationalize and justify his already outrageous behaviour.

Members and friends of the Unitarian Church of Montreal – please be careful! The potential danger of this man should not be underestimated. Do whatever you can within the bounds of law and reason to keep Robin Edgar at bay.

We have commented before on the use of violent rhetoric and imagery in Robin Edgar’s blog and comments, and our concern that the escalation we have observed could lead to his eventually becoming violent in actuality. He has chosen to respond that he has always remained ‘peaceful’ (albeit with a continually angry tone, preferably laden with insults such as ‘morons’ and ‘asshats’).

Still, we notice that he has never explicitly pledged to remain nonviolent in his actions, but that his choice of words and images continues to reveal a man consumed with such bitterness and rage, that those who become his targets have good cause to be concerned for their very safety.

Mister Edgar, this is our question to you: Will you now pledge to never engage in violent actions against any and all Unitarian Universalists?

It is a simple question, and one deserving of an answer. Since you are so fond of perseverating how you only engage in ‘peaceful public protest,’ will you now assure by your promise that your behaviour will always remain peacful, and that you will at least take no action to do physical harm against those whom you protest against?

So why would Robin Edgar try to appropriate Saint Patrick’s Day in a feeble attempt to draw attention to himself?

Perhaps to show disapproval at the leaders of the UUA’s ‘Standing on the Side of Love’ campaign using Valentine’s Day to raise awareness of the need for compassion in such issues as same-sex marriage and immigrant rights.

Then again, we have seen Robin Edgar find even the flimsiest excuse to go off on yet another rant. This one has half a dozen of his signature ‘Big Fat U*U’ perseveration, and five accusations of UUs being ‘anti-‘ something.

Not to mention more snide name-calling and insistence that this is all ‘satire.’ Forget that it serves no constructive purpose whatsoever. Robin Edgar is constantly rationalizing and excusing his outlandish behaviour, his endless lashing out, his berating and insulting even those who have (and want) nothing to do with him.

Robin Edgar talks about ‘getting his Irish up’ and ‘opening a can of whup-ass’, and then declaring that he’s not talking literally. Most likely, he is not being literal in his use of violent phraseology … yet. But for somebody who has carried this much rage for this long, it is only a matter of time before he loses control completely and explodes, rationalizing further that the only way for him to get the attention his narcissism demands is to do real damage to those he has continually demeaned and devalued while hypocritically attempting to put himself on the pedestal of judging UUs for not meeting some unrealistic idealized standard of perfection.

We would agree that UUs are not perfect. We are all, after all, human beings and not angels. But there is a difference between indignation towards the wrongs of the world, and blind consuming rage which does nothing but denigrate the targets of one’s obsession.

We’ve made no secret of how disturbing we find Robin Edgar. He makes an effort to be mean, and then gloats about it. We’ve lost track of how many times he’s tossed out the phrase kick in the balls when lashing out against yet another UU he disapproves of, or who simply did not pay attention to him.

Bad enough he wants to poison cyberspace with his mean-spiritedness – and not just on “The Emerson Avenger” but almost a dozen anti-UU blogs he has set up all over the web (and yet he insists this is not an obsession or fixation). He even goes out of his way to mislead his readers.

One of his most recent blog posts is entitled “UUA President Peter Morales Kicks the “Collective Authorship” Of the Robin Edgar Sucks Blog In Their Big Fat U*U Balls”. If the title itself is not ridiculous enough, the content Robin Edgar provides is outright misrepresentation. He has taken Reverend Morales’ comments about recent legislation in Arizona, and rewritten them into a statement supposedly supporting Robin Edgar (and implying that Morales condemns our actions).

For the record, we are aware of the criticisms of this blog from many UUs. We are equally aware of how many support our trying to make people aware of just how harmful – and potentially dangerous – Robin Edgar is. But we have never doctored any comments to make Robin Edgar look bad. We don’t need to. It says a lot about Robin Edgar that he feels the need to do so himself.

One of Robin Edgar’s fixations is lashing out at one blogging UU minister. He goes out of his way to find anything and everything he can to cast her in a bad light. Very recently, he recounted a story from this minister’s blog, posted in 2005, where she recounts an incident where she gave a shoplifting teen ‘the side of my boot in her tushie, hard’ before talking to him.

We are certainly not condoning such behaviour by a minister, but what does this have to do with Robin Edgar’s dispute with the Unitarian Church of Montreal?

It is another example of his twisted rationalization, where anybody related with Unitarian Universalism, and ministers especially, are fair game for his verbal abuse and harassment. We have read that Robin Edgar continues to send unwanted, profanity-laden emails to this female minister.

There is a much deeper concern, however. Robin Edgar has tried to excuse his habit of insulting and abusing UUs by claiming that it is ‘legitimate’ retaliation for insults and abuses directed towards him (although there are a number of individuals on his list who have never insulted or abused him, or even talked to him). Now he’s talking about how a minister he doesn’t like put her boot to a teen. Add to that his repeatedly talking about people he doesn’t like being ‘kicked in the balls’, and his threat to ‘play hardball’ with the Unitarian Church of Montreal…

Does this mean that Robin Edgar’s ‘peaceful protests’ will no longer be peaceful, and will he claim that such escalation is a ‘legitimate’ response to the ‘less than peaceful’ behaviour of a minister he has never met (and, in fact, at one point tried to defend him)?

Let’s hope that the Unitarian Church of Montreal remains vigilant, and will not hesitate to use whatever lawful means are necessary to protect themselves.

Some more insight into the mind of Robin Edgar, this time from someone in his home city:

Robin’s sense of grandiosity is certainly not limited to Unitarians. When he heard about a petty con artist named Wade Thompson scamming people here in Montreal, he went on the web and set up his own website, even tho there was already a website about it. The Whitehorse Daily Star reported on the arrest and cited Robin’s blog, and now he’s having a grand old time bragging about it.

Yes, we have confirmed that Robin Edgar is indeed boasting about getting his “fifteen minutes of fame”. Apparently he keeps forgetting the two articles in the Montreal Mirror covering his pickets of the Unitarian Church of Montreal. Or his repeatedly linking his blog to every marginally relevant blog and article he can think of. Or his relentless commenting on other people’s blogs about what a victim he is and how dumb he thinks UUs are. Or his Youtube account, where he shows his “professional” photography skills.

Oh, that leads to more from our commenter in Montreal:

I’ve seen Robin taking photos at Montreal street events. Curious, he calls himself a professional photographer, but I’ve never seen his pics anywhere but his website. Just who is he selling them to so he can make a living?

Good question, especially since he’s given more than one job description throughout his blog. Is he even able to maintain steady employment? Just how does he pay for protest signs, copies of lengthy letters, video camera, Internet access, trips all over Canada and the USA?

Our commenter in Montreal closes with the following:

I don’t agree there’s any chance of violence from the guy from what I see. He’s a harmless little crank who feels the need to be important. So let him have his pickets and his God-knows-how-many blogs to rant on (I’ve lost count, and I just read for a chuckle now and then.) Don’t make such a big deal about this.

Yes, it’s clear Robin Edgar “feels the need to be important.” Apparently he feels the need to be very important, and in control, and always one hundred percent right in everything he does. That’s why we don’t think he’s so harmless. He’s already inflicted emotional damage on several individuals, and from what we hear will likely lash out at more whom he is convinced are involved with this blog.

We are not saying that Robin Edgar is indeed violent. We are aware, however, of individuals who engaged in similar “harmless little crank” behavior who later turned violent. This risk cannot be ignored, and we feel it’s only wise for those targeted by Robin Edgar to take precautions.

At long last, Robin Edgar has given a specific answer to the question of what he wants.

After announcing on Ms Kitty’s Saloon and Road Show that he intended to picket the headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association (yet again), Robin Edgar was asked (yet again) what exactly he was demanding. After insisting (yet again) that he had “clearly” stated those demands, he finally provided this link to an earlier email he sent to UUA President Reverend Peter Morales. Edgar’s letter is typically lengthy and bombastic, so we will provide some choice clips — and our impressions:

“You [Morales] are on record as saying that you are “absolutely committed to doing the right thing” when it comes to taking action on clergy sexual misconduct, and that taking action is a “moral imperative.” I put it to you that taking responsible action on non-sexual forms of clergy misconduct is equally a moral imperative or moral obligation, and I call upon you to fully commit yourself to doing the right thing in response to all forms of clergy misconduct committed by UU ministers. The fact of the matter is that some of the more serious cases of non-sexual clergy misconduct can be every bit as harmful and damaging to victims and implicated UU congregations as some cases of clergy sexual misconduct.”

Well, this begs the question of what constitutes “non-sexual clergy misconduct” and how the UUA and it affiliates bodies ought to respond. Robin Edgar claims (yet again) to being a victim of such misconduct, insofar as he alleges to have been:

“deeply insulted and defamed, and unjustly demonized and marginalized, by verbally and psychologically abusive UU ministers”

As far as we can tell, this is a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black. Robin Edgar has invested almost two decades of his life to insulting, defaming and unjustly demonizing Unitarian Universalists of all types, for such sundry offenses as declining to join his crusade, refusing to publish ad hominem attacks on their blogs, or just plain not giving him the attention he so desperately craves. One of his causalties, the late Reverend Timothy Jensen, had earned Egdar’s dubious wrath for having argued with him that, no, he did not plagiarize Edgar when commenting on a distorted map of the US. Edgar has justified his malicious attacks by claiming that he is merely “reflecting” the alleged abuse heaped upon him. Whatever abuse he may have suffered, this is far from reflecting — it is multiplying, and it is done against many who have had no quarrel with him, and have even tried to help him. So if Robin Edgar wants to whine about being marginalized, then maybe he should consider that his own extreme behavior is a greater factor than anything any UU minister has ever done to him.

Moving right along, we finally get to Robin Edgar’s demand:

“After publicly “Standing On The Side of Love” for ALL victims of UU clergy misconduct on “National Standing on the Side of Love Day” this February 14th, I would ask that you to then take steps to ensure that providing genuine restorative justice for ALL victims of UU clergy misconduct is on the agenda of the Ministerial Fellowship Committee meeting in mid-March 2010 and that this MFC meeting leads towards the goal of a new official UUA apology to be delivered to victims of non-sexual forms of clergy misconduct, or indeed all forms of clergy misconduct, at the 2010 UUA GA in Minneapolis Minnesota.”

Excuse me, Mister Edgar, but… The Reverend Ray Drennan did offer one apology after another to you, yet you consistently rejected them. Why, then, should Morales or any other UU minister even consider answering this demand when you reserve the right to then say: “Not good enough, I want more”?

We the collective authorship of this blog remain unconvinced that an “official UUA apology” for what individual ministers may have said or done will ever put to rest this matter. We are convinced, in fact, that Robin Edgar will either proclaim that such an apology is not enough, or simply use it as a tool for imposing more and more demands on the Unitarian Church of Montreal and other groups and individuals. Far from burying the hatchet, we are convinced that Robin Edgar is looking for yet another weapon.

We do not use such combative imagery lightly. Originally we had decided to suspend this blog because of real concerns that the conflict between Robin Edgar and the Montreal church could escalate. We share these concerns, based on the histrionic tone and even violent imagery on Edgar’s blog; his latest perseveration is about kicking people in the balls.

If Robin Edgar carries through on picketing the UUA headquarters, we would hope that the staff there will seriously consider contacting law enforcement to carefully monitor him. Of course, Edgar will insist (yet again) that his demonstrations are always peaceful. But we have to wonder, with all of the rage and bile he spills forth, and the sense of frustration he exhibits, just how long that will last.